Forget-Me-Not Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Candy Candy and all characters belong to Keiko Nagita, character images to Yumiko Igarashi and anime to Toei Animation.

Thank you very much for all the encouraging words and positive feedback to my fanfic Forget-Me-Not so far, and most of all, your understanding that I won’t be able to update much for now is much appreciated! 🥰 To compensate for the relatively short chapter, I will present my new fanart as well. I started drawing it a while back but didn’t have time to polish it till recently. I hope you will like both this chapter and the new illustration. 😘

— Ms Puddle

Chapter 7

Georges has been working hard with his boss since their arrival at the villa yesterday, except when the young heir left the study to visit his friends from Kenya at the mountain lodge. His boss urged Georges to take some rest before the formal dinner later that evening. Initially, Georges politely declined the invitation to that dinner, but his boss insisted, “Do join us, Georges, as my friend.”

Georges could not say no to this. However, not only Sir William showed up late, he was exceptionally quiet over the course of dinner. When it was time for the guests to have desserts, coffee or tea afterwards, Sir William came up with an excuse to retreat. Before he left his seat, he did cast an apologetic glance at his loyal assistant. Georges had no idea that his boss had been greatly affected by Jagdeep’s account of his real relationship with Kim, and Jagdeep passed her letter to him when he had to leave the mountain lodge, saying, “Feel it. Looks like she’s written a very long letter to you, Albert. If I were you, I’d read it after the formal dinner.” Albert paid heed to his advice and could scarcely wait to get back to his room to tear open the sealed envelope.

This morning, Sir William returned to the dining room for breakfast and sat beside Georges again. Yet, this time the boss was seemingly back to his normal self, engaging in conversations with the guests. Later, when Georges had clearly finished eating, the boss also took the last sip of his coffee. The footman behind him swiftly came near the table, ready to refill his cup, but the young master placed his hand over his cup and shook his head. As the footman backed up, Sir William murmured to his assistant, “Shall we resume going through the financial reports after this?”

Since then, the two have not stopped working, even having their lunch delivered to the study, until someone raps on the door. “Come in!” says Sir William.

A messenger, sent by the butler, walks into the spacious room and gives a slight bow before announcing, “As per your request, Master William, Master Archibald has just arrived with his friends, waiting for you at the drawing room.” Georges does not expect this unfamiliar looking messenger to know Miss Candice. Prior to this gathering, the Ardlays have kept minimal staff to maintain this grand mansion.

“Got it,” the master replies with a nod and then turns to his assistant. “Let’s wrap things up.”

Then Georges follows his boss, heading towards the drawing room. When they are near, they both hear Madam Elroy’s condescending question, “Archie, why is Candice’s neck bare?”

Sir William immediately speeds up his walking pace. Then comes Archie’s reply in a low voice, “Pardon me, Great Aunt Elroy… I ran out of time…”

Presently, Georges sees that the young people are all standing in the middle of the room to greet the matriarch, who must have just entered the drawing room with Mr. And Mrs. Cornwell. All three young ladies are consciously avoiding the matriarch’s scrutinizing stare, their backs slightly leaning forward.

Out of the corner of Archie’s eye he spots the approach of his uncle and his assistant, so Archie stands taller and in a louder voice he continues to explain, “But the main reason is, I forgot to ask you, Great Aunt Elroy, whether you have a budget in mind.”

“Budget?” the old lady echoes incredulously, as though she’s never heard of such a thing in her life.

At this point, Candy decides to speak up for herself; she’s not ashamed of her lowly status, but her eyes remain downcast as she utters in a grateful tone, “Great Aunt Elroy, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity-”

Before the girl finishes talking, much to everyone’s surprise, Albert passes his aunt and marches right into the room, taking Candy’s right hand in his left hand. He then spins sideways to face his aunt near the door, asking, “What’s the matter?”

Needless to say, his action has effortlessly distracted his aunt, and the girl is caught off guard but at the same time the warmth from his large hand goes straight to her heart. As always, his presence gives her a marvelous sense of security, especially right now.

Compared to his stern aunt, the patriarch’s voice is much more casual, and he’s smiling. He has no intention to confront his aunt for trivial matters such as this.

On one hand, the matriarch is displeased to see her nephew’s affection towards the orphan girl, but on the other hand, what he does is not totally unexpected. In fact, this is one of the reasons why the matriarch wanted Candice to come to this family gathering. Hence, the matriarch masks her feelings by deliberately softening her tone, “No worries, William.”

Then the matriarch remarks to everyone around her, “Shall we sit down?”

The servants take this as a signal and begin to serve tea and snacks. No one can deny that the mere presence of the patriarch is enough to get both Archie and Candy out of the awkward situation. Unlike the matriarch, Archie is fairly delighted to see that his uncle and Candy are on very good terms. On the way to Lakewood, Candy informed her friends about her reconciliation with Albert without any details. She simply said that they were friends again and would keep in touch by writing letters to each other.

When Madam Elroy sits down in the only armchair in the room, Mr. Cornwell mingles with Georges and Mrs. Cornwell wraps her arms around Archie first and then gives Annie a light hug. After that, Mrs. Cornwell embraces Patty with a motherly hug. Patty responds by hugging her back without a word, but her body language shows that she appreciates Mrs. Cornwell’s welcome. They need comfort from each other after all.

When the spotlight is no longer on Candy, Albert releases her hand. She misses the warmth of his hand but hides it by thanking him with her signature smile, and she mumbles under her breath, “Thanks, Albert. I read your letter, and yes.”

He understands her cryptic message, but Candy misinterprets his expression. He seems to be at a loss, so she clarifies herself, “I’ll write to Dr. Martin as soon as possible, for you.”

The truth is, Albert didn’t notice until now that Candy appears more feminine and mature than usual with a light makeup and neat hairdo. Moreover, her sparkling emerald orbs, though partially obscured by a veil, have captivated him. He must say she looks remarkable and striking today. At this instant, Kim’s comment from her lengthy letter rings in his ears,

“Al, admit it. Candice White is more than a friend to you…”

Yet, he reasons with this inner voice that he has always cared about Candy and wanted to protect her, so he chases this thought from his mind and forces himself to regain his composure. The fact that Candy has just mentioned Dr. Martin helps, so he puts his palm on his forehead and feigns, wearing a dashing smile, “Oh yes! Thank you, Candy! A letter from you will work like a charm, no doubt about that.”

When she chuckles in response, her bright eyes alight with excitement. He immediately looks away and beckons her to join the other guests in the room. As soon as Candy sits down on the sofa beside Patty, Annie, and Archie, Albert goes to take his seat between his aunt and Archie’s parents. Georges remains standing however.

After having some refreshments, Archie excuses himself, “The service will begin in less than an hour, Granduncle William and Great Aunt Elroy. As the person in charge, I want to make sure everything is ready as planned.”

But the matriarch stops him, “Wait, Archie.”

Then she turns around to give a cue to her maid. As Lucy brings the purse to the old lady, Madam Elroy says in a murmur like talking to herself, “I had a feeling I should bring this with me for the trip, and I was right.”

The old lady then shifts her focus back on the orphan girl, and in an authoritative voice she requests, “Candice, come here.”

Archie swiftly exchanges glances with his uncle, and apparently, his uncle is just as astonished and clueless what’s going on. Then they hear Candy reply in a firm voice, “Yes!”

Despite not knowing what the old lady wants from her, Candy braces herself and does her best to take graceful steps toward the matriarch. If a stranger walks in now, the stranger would have mistaken Candy for a lady with a high social status.

While Albert and Archie wait on pins and needles, Annie and Patty are nervous too, wondering what will occur this time. Likewise, Georges observes everything with apprehension. In fact, nobody says a word as though they are holding their breath, including the household staff in the room.

When the young lady stops in front of the matriarch at last, the matriarch explains in a kind voice that sounds so foreign to Candy, “Earlier this year, I picked this for you, Candice.”

That piques everyone’s interests. The matriarch then retrieves a flat, rectangular black velvety box from her purse, flips it open and displays what’s inside to people around her. It’s a silvery necklace with a solitaire, lush green oval emerald pendant adorned with a sparkling diamond secured in a prong. At that, Candy appears stupefied, because she has never dreamed of getting anything directly from Great Aunt Elroy. Her close friends also find the matriarch’s behaviour bizarre, and their jaws drop without knowing.

The old lady assumes the orphan girl is nonplussed due to her lack of knowledge about jewelleries, so she adds, “It’s white gold, not silver. The green color of this gemstone, although not extraordinarily brilliant, matches your eyes perfectly.” Then the old lady brings it closer to Mrs. Cornwell, who examines the pendant and affirms with eagerness, “Yes indeed, Aunt Elroy. It’s outstanding!”

After throwing another glance at the necklace, Candy musters her courage and responds, “Thank you very much, Great Aunt Elroy, but… but…”

The girl falters, unable to explain why she’s feeling uncomfortable accepting a costly present, even though Great Aunt Elroy said she had bought this necklace early this year. About ten seconds later, the blond girl lowers her head to avoid the old lady’s intense gaze and forges her words cautiously, “But it’s more than enough for me that you have bestowed upon me the privilege to be a part of this special occasion, Great Aunt Elroy.”

The matriarch is not accustomed to rejection; she suppresses her displeasure nonetheless and demands, “What do you mean, Candice?”

The tension in the room is palpable. Albert is inwardly debating whether to “rescue” Candy at this point. While his aunt might mean well, there is nothing wrong for Candy not wanting to accept the gift. Then he hears Candy continue, “So please let me express my utmost gratitude to you.”

With that, the girl performs a deep curtsy for Madam Elroy like a ballerina performing a grande reverence, paying her profound respect to the powerful matriarch. This appeases the old lady to some degree, and as Candy straightens up, the girl appears so elegant yet confident that Albert decides not to intervene. He believes Candy is able to get herself out of this trouble. The last thing he wants is to do anything that causes more ill feelings between Candy and his aunt and further damages their cold relationship.

The matriarch scrutinizes the girl’s face carefully, weighing up her options. Just then, the butler knocks at the door frame and bows before he announces that the minister and some other guests have arrived. Archie grasps this opportunity and speaks up, “Great Aunt Elroy, I’d better get going.”

Within seconds, the matriarch lets out a sigh of resignation and says to the girl, “Very well then, Candice. I’ll keep it for you for now.” Then she looks at Archie and gives her grandnephew a nod of approval.

“With your permission,” Archie replies before exiting with the butler.

The matriarch then closes the velvety box, putting it back into her purse. Candice is more difficult than the matriarch has anticipated; the matriarch did not lie about buying this necklace for the girl, but nobody else in this room has a clue that it was meant to be a present for her engagement with Neal. Back then, Madam Elroy did not spend much time looking for a decent present for Candice and actually bought this necklace on a whim; the old lady was preoccupied with chagrin that Neal had chosen a poor girl of unknown origin. Even so, if letting him marry this orphan girl could stop him from enlisting, the matriarch was more than willing to risk upsetting her nephew. However, it turned out that her nephew cared more about the girl’s happiness than the old lady had ever imagined, so at this moment Madam Elroy deems it not the right time to make a scene, not when her nephew is watching.

Relief washes over Candy. Nevertheless, the fact that Great Aunt Elroy is acting like a completely different person to her fills Candy with consternation. Candy wonders if the change has anything to do with her nephew, and yet Candy sincerely thanks the matriarch for her kindness and thoughtfulness one more time. The matriarch acknowledges by nodding once without saying anything else. As the guests begin murmuring to one another, Albert can’t help but suspect his aunt has something else in mind, but he’s aware that he might be imagining things, jumping to conclusions. At any rate, he’d better keep a close eye on his aunt for Candy’s sake.

During the memorial service, the minister preaches a touching message and speaks highly of those brave souls sacrificing their precious lives for their loved ones back home. Patty looks rather dejected and weeps non-stop, but Candy shows her support by squeezing her hand from time to time. Before the service, Candy has spoken to Patty and urged her not to bottle up her emotions, and Annie has given Patty her moral support as well. Candy recalls that early morning at the train station when Stear came to see her off. Now that Candy looks back, if she had known that Stear was decisively leaving the country for the war, would she have persuaded Stear not to go? That is likely why Stear chose not to tell his brother or Patty before his departure.

Annie honestly feels pity towards Patty; Annie cannot even fathom what it feels like losing the man she loves with all her heart. The young ladies are not sitting together with the Ardlays, and Annie steals a glance at Archie out of the corner of her eye. He has remained absorbed in his thoughts for some time now, understandably pensive and withdrawn. His father keeps his head down during the service while his mother is shedding silent tears like Madam Elroy.

Archie is not really listening to the sermon at the moment. Rather, he’s “talking” to his brother. Stear, have you found Anthony up there yet? If I see you one day in Heaven, I’ll most definitely ask you this question right off the bat. Did you regret the choice you had made?

But Archie seems to hear an answer in his heart, that the only regret Stear had was he only had one life to give for the sake of world peace. Archie wishes he had paid more attention back when Stear was talking to him fervently about the Great War. Perhaps Archie could have prevented this from happening. There were different things Stear could have done instead of volunteering, but Archie must confess he still did not comprehend what had truly motivated Stear. Even to this day, Archie is unhappy that Stear has chosen this route, leaving his loved ones behind. Yet, Archie is also proud of his brother. Archie used to think Stear was an inventor with many crazy ideas, but now people would remember Stear as a courageous pilot who laid down his life for a good purpose.

Stear, I promise you that I will do my best not to live idly anymore. One day, when I see you and Anthony again, you will be proud of your younger brother too!

An informal reception follows the memorial service, but Madam Elroy has informed Archie beforehand that William has gladly assumed the responsibility of being the host so that she can rest in her private room. “Archie, I trust that you can assist William?”

“Yes, Great Aunt Elroy. You can count on me,” Archie replied in understanding. He perceived she was not feeling her best after the service.

During the reception, Candy stays with Annie and Patty the whole time, secretly and sullenly dealing with her disappointment. Albert, as the patriarch and the host, is constantly receiving or entertaining the guests. Candy can only observe him from afar, and it looks like he doesn’t even have much time to eat. She thought she would have time to ask Albert why he had visited Mr. Cartwright yesterday. Or better yet, she had high hopes she could have a chance to discuss with him how she planned to convince Dr. Martin to accept his offer. Candy was incredibly touched after reading Albert’s heartfelt letter yesterday, in which Albert sincerely wished to pay back Dr. Martin’s kindness to both him and Candy. Albert also mentioned how he would never forget those days living in that tiny apartment even though they could barely make ends meet.

Near the end of the reception, when the guests are gradually leaving one after another, the patriarch, Archie and his parents are busy bidding them goodbye. Patty asks Annie, “Annie, do you know where the powder room is?”

“I want to go myself. Let me take you there, Patty.”

As soon as Annie and Patty leave Candy’s side, Madam Elroy’s maid appears out of nowhere, saying, “Excuse me, Miss Candice. Madam Elroy wants to talk to you.”

Candy hesitates a bit before she slowly pulls herself up from her seat. “Thank you, and your name?”

“My name is Lucy, Miss Candice,” Lucy says in a way that she knows what Candy is thinking. “The previous maid got married.”

Though feeling jittery about meeting with Great Aunt Elroy alone, Candy acknowledges by pasting a smile on her face. Candy darts a fleeting glance at Albert. As expected, he’s fully engaged with the guests, talking to them or shaking their hands. If she leaves with Lucy now, would he or her friends know where she’s gone? Therefore, Candy asks, “Lucy, is Great Aunt Elroy all right? Why does she want to talk to me?”

The maid replies, “I’m sorry I don’t know, Miss Candice. Madam Elroy did say that it shouldn’t take long.”

Candy finds it somewhat comforting that Lucy is not at all snobbish like the ones Candy encountered years ago after the adoption. Thus, Candy trails after Lucy, and as Lucy takes Candy down a shortcut through the manicured garden right outside the reception hall, Candy spots a woman with long blond curls, who just got off a carriage at the grand entrance, clad in a dark cloak.

Another guest for the memorial service? Why so late?

But when the footman approaches the lady guest, Candy realizes the lady has a suitcase with her. Besides, the footman seems to recognize the guest and helps to carry her luggage. At this precise moment, the lady guest happens to turn her lovely face in the right direction, and Candy believes she knows who the guest is. Is she Kimberly, the American nurse who worked with Albert in Kenya?

Then realization hits Candy like a brick to her head, and before Candy knows it, she feels tears sting her eyes.

Is Kimberly moving in? What’s her relationship with Albert?

Candy instantly bites her lip and blames her emotions on the eventful day. On top of that, she’s been struggling with the dismay in her heart since her arrival. Therefore, she quickens her steps and catches up with Lucy, walking back into the mansion through a side entrance.

(to be continued…)

=o=o=o=

Writer’s note:

Thank you for reading this chapter! I repost the drawing of Archie, which I did last year. If you spots any mistake or typo please kindly let me know. Hope to hear from you soon.